SGF: Bridge builder bringing value
Barely three months after his appointment as the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Gidadhyelda Mustapha, the lawyer, politician and technocrat, has taken charge of the office with a calm confidence, a certain clarity of direction, and a sense of urgency. Widely adjudged as a fit replacement for Lawal Babachir, Mustapha is […]
Barely three months after his appointment as the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Gidadhyelda Mustapha, the lawyer, politician and technocrat, has taken charge of the office with a calm confidence, a certain clarity of direction, and a sense of urgency. Widely adjudged as a fit replacement for Lawal Babachir, Mustapha is carrying out his functions with professional dignity. Indeed, his initial actions, statements and initiatives confirm that he is prepared, experienced and with capacity to hit the ground running.
Mustapha’s style and approach is amply reflected in the variety in which his influence is manifested in different zones of his influence. To the Presidency, he represents a fresh injection of new blood to liven up and properly communicate the reforms/activities of the Buhari administration.
To the other arms of government, such as the National Assembly, the Judiciary, he represents an experienced, knowledgeable and self-confident partner – who will keep his eyes on the germane issues – and help smoothen out rough edges in the important relationship with the Villa. To the country at large, Mustapha represents a smooth wheel with the experience, maturity and technocratic expertise to keep the reams of government running by managing conflicts, egos and keeping ministers, governors, party stakeholders in line with the agenda of the Buhari administration.
An assessment of Mustapha’s work so far reveals three major strands that intertwine in an intriguing way. The first is of course that the new SGF is an unapologetic Buhari loyalist. He is a credible advocate for the President’s reelection with a gift for articulating a convincing, logical and reasonable message to critical stakeholders.
His engagements with key stakeholders in the South East, a region that is generally hostile to the President provides a good example of Mustapha’s effective political outreach. Swimming against the tide of strong South East’s opposition to the Buhari 2019 agenda, Mustapha is pushing a persuasive argument anchored on the political realities and future opportunities for the region if it supports Buhari.
Speaking recently at a dinner in honor of Georgina Ehuriah, the Permanent Secretary in the Cabinet office, Mustapha told Igbo leaders that voting for President Muhammadu Buhari in 2019 presents the best opportunity for achieving the country’s number one position.
“I can tell you without any fear, without any iota of doubt, that the shortest path to an Igbo presidency is for Buhari to complete his tenure and engage the Igbo nation in a decisive move.” Mustapha urged the leaders of the South East to deploy the famed Igbo talent for strategic negotiation in business and commerce “in navigating your way to the Presidency”.
The new SGF’s impact is being felt in other ways. As one of the highest ranking Christians in the Buhari administration, he is leveraging his strong networks and goodwill to assuage the suspicions and bruised feelings that characterizes the reaction of many Christians to the Buhari government. The President suffers from a perception of being a religious bigot. In his engagements with the Christian community, to which he belongs, he is playing a good role of a bridge builder, someone who is a Christian, understands the issues, explain and defend Buhari’s policies – and has the President’s ears.
At the recent 2018 plenary of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), the SGF engaged the clergy in an honest, respectful conversation about their grievances with the president. He commended the Bishops for their frank comments and questions at the meeting with the President. Mustapha informed the Bishops that the President appreciated their forthright stance and assured them that “the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria is a strategic partner in the enterprise of growing the Nigeria nation and he believes that they have a lot to offer”. He also assured the respected body that he will use his office to ensure that the issues raised during the meeting are given priority attention
The SGF is a smart man with a deep and abiding faith in the benefits of working together for the common good. He understands that for the president to succeed, a cordial relationship is critical between the Presidency and the National Assembly. One of his first actions was to extend the olive branch during a session with the Senate leadership. In a passionate but focused statement he made a strong case for executive-legislative rapprochement and cooperation in the higher interest of Nigerians and the country’s democracy.
“If the National Assembly does not cooperate with the Presidency, I am not very sure we will be able to achieve the desired result that we want to see, given the mandate that we have freely received from the people of Nigeria. I assure you that in every area that you are soliciting the cooperation of the Presidency, as the Secretary to the Government, I would ensure that the National Assembly receives that cooperation because, jointly, if we work together, whatever has been lost in the past, we can quickly redeem and recover and make progress, so that by the time the first four-year mandate that we received comes to an end, we can show on our scorecard that these were the promises we made.”
Besides his strong administrative capacity, Mustapha has introduced a noticeable reform-minded focus to the operations of the SGF’s office and set in motion initiatives to re-engineer and restructure the office for better performance and service delivery. The SGF is trying to build a new work ethic, not only for his office, but the entire public service.
The value that Mustapha brings to the government at this critical time is obvious. He is a loyalist and team player who understands political signaling and is a technocrat who combines a populist grassroots appeal and a pragmatism that is key to surviving the brutal politics in Nigeria. His reform-minded approach inspires hope of a vibrant and result-oriented public service. It gives hope of an invigorated Buhari administration that will effectively align the workings of ministers, engage and build relationships with critical stakeholders, political interest groups, the National Assembly and other arms of government and reduce the conflicts that constitute a drag on policy and government operations.
Samuel T. Adakole is a public analyst based in Lagos.